Women who Aren't Maria Hill and the Men who Know This
by CMDRHill
Summary: OR; six men who must compare Maria Hill to another woman to understand her, and one man who knows who she is. Belongs to my shiny new CMDRHILL Verse. Each part is sort of a double character study, with the focus on Maria whose characterization is built out of the negative spaces. T for language. Thanks for Reading!
1. Tony and Pepper

_Hello!_

I am so sorry if you're waiting for me to update Vents, it's really hard for me to write, but I do promise- I pinky swear- to finish it!

I am planning a very long work that focuses on Maria Hill, but I do not plan on begining it for another few weeks (the first draft of the first chapter was _shit_)

Anyways, I have seven parts of this written and edited, but I'll spread out my posting.

From this point forward, unless I say otherwise, all of my work relating to Maria Hill is true to my larger story. I think I'll call it my _CMDRHill Verse._

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_Maria Hill,_ Tony decides, _is who Pepper would be, if she had absolutely no affection for me._ If Pepper was her same focused, efficient self, with no attraction to him, then she and Maria Hill would be the same person.

This realization shook him.

Just a little.

It was impressive, watching them work together, before and after the shit storm called H.Y.D.R.A.. They were equals; powerful women who knew what they were doing and how to get it done. They would go head-to-head on disagreements, but would come out of a long, intense meeting with a laundry list of things checked off and genuine, if not quite friendly smiles.

Pepper was C.E.O. of the largest and most powerful technology and security company in the world.

Maria Hill had been the Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Which -while Mr. Eyepatch was intimidating (not that Tony thought that) and busy- really meant that she ran the place.

Both women had iron fists, sharp eyes, quick minds, and a demand for respect that was conveyed not through words but from their very presence.

So maybe Tony was a _little_ bit terrified of Maria Hill.

A little fear never stopped him from being an annoying little shit before.


	2. Clint and Natasha

I'm going to be gone all next week, so I won't be posting, even though all the parts are finished. As far as the KGB thing goes, I'm working on how to incorporate Natasha's comic book back story into MCU canon and use the mix in my CMDRHILL Verse. They don't make it easy.

Much love- Jane

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_Maria Hill, _Clint knows, _is who Natasha would be, if she had been trained by the Marines, not the KGB (or the people Nat _says _were KGB)._ Maria is a soldier through and through; solid, tough, deadly.

On missions Hill is the steady, controlled voice in his ear. Natasha is his other half.

When Phil isn't- wasn't- on the mission it was Maria who called the shots, who watched both their backs. When she moved up to be Fury's right hand, she didn't forget Strike Team Delta.

It's hard, remembering the fight on the Helicarrier, remembering all the people- his colleagues- that he shot down, that he killed, and it's hard, remembering his orders to take Natasha apart, piece by piece, tearing apart her body, using her secrets against her.

It's hard too, remembering his attack on the bridge, in his mind, in his nightmares.

In them, he sees Maria in his sights.

Loki thought she had been killed when the tunnel collapsed, or he would have dredge Clint's mind about her too.

Clint doesn't know as much about Maria as he does Natasha, but he knows enough to hurt her.

He knows enough to know that, if she had been in a position to, she would have tracked him down and given him a healthy dose of "cognitive recalibration" herself.


	3. Thor and Sif

Very short, but I think it's proper. Also posting on AO3 and Tumblr, though I'm currently unable to access AO3.

oOoOo

_Maria Hill_, Thor observes, _is who Sif would be on Midgard, on Earth._ This warrior, this human _valkyrie_, is one he is proud to fight beside.

It takes him a while, certainly, to learn this of the shadow who trails in Director Fury's wake, but when she does step into the light and take control of the situation before her, he is impressed.

Sif might not be as content to balance between leadership on the battlefield and an invisible position the shadows off the turf, but she would certainly find a kindred spirit in the spit-fire called Maria Hill.


	4. Steve and Peggy

_NOT A STEVE/MARIA STORY,_in the CMDRHILL Verse, Maria is Aro and decidedly single.

oOoOoOoOoOoO

_Maria Hill,_ Steve comes to understand, _is who Peggy would have been, if the world hadn't needed her to open the doors._ Maria Hill is Peggy's successor. If not for H.Y.D.R.A., she would have eventually been the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Peggy _recruited_ her, for godssake.

Maria Hill is the voice in his ear now, when he's out on a mission. She's the one who debriefs him afterwards.

He doesn't love her -she hasn't _replaced_ Peggy for him, no one could- but he trusts her. That's rare enough these days.

Her voice catches on his name when he orders her to fire; to shoot him out of the sky, and it's almost as painful as flying the plane into the ice, Peggy's words ringing in his ears.

oOoOo

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Jane


	5. Phil and Melinda

_Sorry about the delay, I'm at college trying to do a dozen things before classes even start. I finally finished AoS, so I can actually post canonically relevant work! _

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_Maria Hill,_ Phil realizes, _is who Melinda May would be, if she'd been raised by a drunk father, instead of a powerful, kick-ass mother._

He's no idiot, he knows that Maria is hurting with the destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D., much the same as Melinda, but he also knows his hands are tied, and that Maria (and so too Melinda) would neither accept nor appreciate his apologies or offers of help.

Melinda he will make use of in the field; rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D. as it should be, taking out HYDRA a bit at a time. Through silent mutual agreements to not discuss what's happening, he will forgive and gain forgiveness and they will reforge their trust and partnership.

Maria he cannot help _(though he might be a bit reluctant to actually try)_. He understands that she was following orders, procedure; her _modus operandi_. But he's still more than a little hurt. So sue him if he's the only one holding back.

He's going to have to trust that Nick (and apparently Stark) can keep her straight, because he needs to put all of himself into putting Melinda back together, _again_. This time it can't be put off.

XxXxXx

thanks always,

Love,

Jane


	6. Ward and Skye

_One chapter left! But there's plenty more in the CMNDRHILL Verse._

_oOoOoOoOo_

_Maria Hill,_ Ward sees in a flash of insight_, is who Skye will become._ When she moves beyond the stinging pain of his betrayal, when she grows above her flighty carelessness, and ages out of her girlish innocence. She will be the woman staring him down across a runway, dragging his pathetic form down the hallway, torturing him with words that once would have made him laugh.

Skye will never lose her sense of humor, but Hill wasn't as stone cold as some made her out to be. At least she wasn't before H.Y.D.R.A. reared its many heads.

A very small, very quiet sliver of Ward is glad that he knew Skye before. This tiny part, among all this broken pieces is grateful that he was exposed to such a happy, _good_ person.

ooOooOoo

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Jane


	7. Nick Fury

_Maria Hill_, is who Fury picks as _Second in Command._

He knows she's a wildcard; almost too by-the-book to back him up when he calls for some... _alternative methods_, but she's loyal enough to S.H.I.E.L.D., to it's purpose, to keep it functioning. And the council trusts her enough to let him keep his office.

Other's aren't quite satisfied with his choice; some question his taste in women (and wonder at just how determined she must be), but both are known for their icy glares and stone-cold visages, and neither rise to the baiting queeries.

It's the Battle of Manhattan, and the aftermath, when he finally knows that he picked true. She may not like (and possibly not trust) the Avengers, but when she comes out of the meeting with the WSC, she faces him with steel in her eyes and determination in her soul (she has _them_ on a leash (him included), _not_ the other way around).

When he "dies" he knows she'll get the job done.

When they agree that Stark Industries is the best place for her to reorganize, he knows she's got his back.

Because the Maria Hill he met when Peggy Carter recruited her would have gutted Stark on the spot. _Commander_ Hill now, well,_ she_ has a bit more finesse.


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